Page 85 of Damien’s Mate

“Unfortunately, your uncle was cleverer than we thought,” Durram added. “He must have hidden the artifacts thoroughly.”

“He split them up,” Lila said, her lips feeling numb. “We spent twenty years tracking them down.”

For nothing.

They’d spent all those years hunting, her father had given his life—for the other side. For a corrupt group of wannabes.

The Lord High Commander rose to his feet. “And now you will give them to us.” He gestured to the soldier who’d tried to make her kneel. “Take them.”

The soldier reached out and put both hands on the case. Blue lightning enveloped his body and he jerked like he’d just been hit with a Taser. He fell to the ground, still seizing.

Lila raised her eyes to the Lord High Commander’s. “Oops,” she said.

Durram’s eyes were like ice chips. “Relinquish the case, or we will kill you where you stand.”

She turned to Rodan and mimed an explosion. “Kaboom,” she whispered.

Rodan cleared his throat. “Begging your pardon, Lord High Commander, but apparently the case has a magical lock keyed to the operative, with an… ahem. Exploding failsafe.”

The Lord High Commander was obviously unaccustomed to not getting what he wanted. His face grew dark red.

“Put her in a cell,” he said. “We will contact Prince Herrick.” He glared at Lila. “We will see how long your childish tricks last when you are confronted with a Draken of the Royal House.”

Not long, she thought, as they marched her away. Draken had powerful magic, and it was almost certainly a Draken who’d designed this case and its security measures.

She had no doubt the prince would have a way to break them. And to break her.

She had to get out of here before then. Preferably with the artifacts, so she could return them to the actual Royal House.

Unless they really were dicks and tyrants, and then maybe she wouldn’t, no matter what her father wanted.

The soldiers took her to a room with two cells in it, their front walls and the wall between them made of vertical floor-to ceiling iron bars. Probably magicked.

Before putting her in the cell, they dragged her over to a small table by the wall, with a chair meant for a guard. Rodan ordered her to leave the artifact case on the table. It would still be within the safe zone, but she wouldn’t be able to reach it from the cell.

“What if I don’t?”

He gestured to the guards. Two of them held her while a third ran his knife slowly down her cheek, drawing blood. “You can’t kill me,” she said. “The case will detonate.”

“Maybe not,” the guard said. “But we can hurt you a lot before the Draken get here.”

Slowly, growling, Lila put the case on the table. Rough hands patted her down for weapons, lingering on her boobs and between her legs. When they were through, Rodan backhanded her—hard—twice across the face with all his strength. She felt a cheekbone crack.

Then they flung her into the cell, nauseated, her head ringing. Rodan and most of the guards left, leaving her with the one who’d cut her. He stood looking down at her.

“You bastard,” she said, spitting out blood. “You’re a disgrace to the Guard.”

He kicked her ribs. “Wait until the Draken prince gets here,” he said. “You’ll wish he’d left you with me.” He slammed the barred door and left her there, with the artifacts just out of reach.

Furious. Hurting. And calling out to Damien with her whole being, wishing she’d never left him.

Chapter 35

Damien dreamed he was alone in the middle of a wide grassy plain, extending as far as he could see in every direction.

There was no sun overhead—just a no-color sky suffused with light that seemed to be without a source.

And wind bending the grass—a wind that never seemed to stop blowing.